Introduction
Do you remember when remote work was something only a few companies experimented with? It was not really popular until COVID hit. Practically overnight, businesses had to figure out how to work from home.
Remote work started as a temporary fix during the pandemic, but now it has turned into a long-term shift. For many companies, remote or hybrid setups are here to stay.
Because there are a lot of benefits to this kind of setup, you get more flexibility, happier employees, and access to talent across the globe.
But there is one big question that keeps coming up: how to build a strong team culture when everyone is coming from different places?
This is exactly what we are going to talk about in this article. Let’s know about why remote culture matters and what makes it work.
Why Does Remote Culture Matter?
I came across some numbers recently that got me thinking about remote work and company culture:
- 98% of employees actually prefer remote or hybrid work. It clearly shows that people love the flexibility it offers.
- But only 21% connected to their company’s culture. I think that is a big gap.
This disconnect is not just a small thing. It can lead to:
- Employees feel disengaged.
- A drop in morale.
- Burnout from feeling isolated.
- Eventually, higher turnover, which no company wants.
We all need to understand that culture does not just magically grow when everyone is remote. It has to be purposely built.
Some companies are doing this really well. For example:
- Automattic (they run WordPress)
- GitLab is fully remote.
They have shown that when remote teams are supported and feel part of something meaningful, they can work better than they can in a traditional office setup.
Also Read: The Future of Work: Remote Employers of Record
Key Elements of a Strong Remote Culture
Let’s see what really helps build a strong remote culture:
Trust and Autonomy
In a remote setup, trust is everything. You cannot check on everyone the same way you do in an office. If you ask me, you should not need to at all. You need to trust your employee.
Companies like Zapier do this well. They focus on results and not the hours on the clock. It is all about trusting people to do their job and giving them the space to do it.
Communication and Transparency
With remote teams, communication has to be intentional. You cannot just walk over to someone’s desk. That is why GitLab made its entire internal handbook public.
Anyone, including people from the office and even outsiders, can see how things work. This step ensures everyone is on the same page.
Flexibility
I think one of the biggest advantages of remote work is flexibility. Automattic is a company that lets employees choose their own working hours. I think it is amazing because when people have control over their schedule, they take more ownership, and productivity goes up because they are working when they’re at their best.
Inclusion and Belonging
Just because someone is working remotely doesn’t mean they should feel isolated. Cultures make sure everyone feels like they are part of the team.
There are tools like HeyTaco on Slack that let team members give each other shoutouts. It might sound like a small thing, but these little moments of recognition can really help people feel connected.
Shared Purpose
In a distributed team, a shared mission ties everything together. When leaders communicate clearly why this work needs to be done, employees can see how their efforts fit into the bigger picture, no matter where they are in the world.
Common Challenges and How to Address Them
Remote work is amazing, but it is not without its challenges. Let’s see what these challenges are and how to handle them:
Isolation and Loneliness
When you’re working from home, there is no office for you to go to, and it can start to make you feel disconnected. You don’t get to have those casual chats with your team.
Buffer, for example, uses a Slack tool called Donut that randomly pairs team members for short visual coffee chats. I personally find it a great way to build those informal relationships that really matter.
Miscommunication
In a remote setup, most of the communication is in written form, and it is very easy for things to get misunderstood. That is why GitHub focuses on documentation. They write down decisions and processes clearly, so no one misunderstands anything.
Time Zones
When your team is spread around the world, you cannot expect anyone to reply instantly. Zapier uses asynchronous communication for this purpose. They use tools like Loom to record video updates that people can watch later whenever it works for them.
Work-Life Balance
You know what one big challenge is that I feel comes with remote work? It is work-life balance. People in remote settings feel like they always have to be “on.” InVision talks about this openly, and they normalise things like interruptions and encourage breaks. It says that it’s okay to log off when needed.
Visibility Bias
Just because someone is not physically in front of you, this doesn’t mean their work should go unnoticed. Automattic is a company that solves this by focusing on results and not how much you are seen doing work.
Actual contributions made by the employees and not the time they have put in.
Also Read: How do EOR Providers Ensure Compliance with Local Laws?
Practical Strategies to Build Culture
Here are a few suggestions for you to build a strong remote work culture:
- Always set clear communication with your team and guide them as to how to communicate and how quickly they are expected to respond.
- You can set up a virtual town hall and share regular updates through it and also organize AMA (Ask me Anything) sessions. It will help people feel connected, and they will also have an idea of what is going on, even from a distance.
- Always recognise and reward the achievements of your employees publicly. This will give them a huge morale boost.
- You should also host regular virtual team bonding, meetings, and occasional in-person meetups. This will strengthen your team’s bond.
- Also provide career development, mental health resources, and mentorship. So employees feel that they are supported.
Conclusion
In the end, I will just say that remote work can work really well, but it totally depends on the kind of culture a company builds around it.
You need to care about your people and use the right tools to help them. Stay connected and understand what is going on in the team. If you’re doing this much, then it does not matter if everyone in your team is working from different places.
This way, people stay happy and the whole company does better. So in the end, it is not about where people work, it is about how they work together.
